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Medical school comparison

Exeter vs Glasgow

Exeter and Glasgow are both UK medical schools, but the path to an offer at each is meaningfully different. Exeter is based in Exeter, Devon, England, UK (England) while Glasgow sits in Glasgow (Scotland), and the regional context shapes everything from fee status to NHS-deanery destination. Their A-Level requirements (Applicants vs AAA) place them in slightly different academic-strictness tiers. Glasgow is the older institution (founded 1451); the other (founded 2013) has shaped its medical school around modern integrated-curriculum thinking.

Side-by-side comparison

Exeter

Exeter, Devon, England, UK

Quick comparison

Location
Exeter, Devon, England, UK, UK
A-Level offer
A*AA at A-level including A in Chemistry and A in Biology
TrueScore
1900
UCAT home cut-off
~1880+ /2700 with A*A*A* (5th decile) OR ~2100+ /2700 with A*A*A (8th decile). Points cut-off 74+/100.
Interview format
Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)
Post-interview chance
International (2026 policy): ~33% (10 places, ~30 interviews); UK Undergrad: 366/696 = 53%
Decision date
March onwards / mid-May

Glasgow

Glasgow

Quick comparison

Location
Glasgow, UK
A-Level offer
AAA at A-level including Chemistry and one of Biology, Physics or Mathematics
TrueScore
1850
UCAT home cut-off
-
Interview format
MMI Format for Dentistry, Panel Interview for Medicine
Post-interview chance
Scottish: 473/565 = 84% (2025); RUK: 128/216 = 59%; International: 114/161 = 71%
Decision date
March onwards
Compare different schools

Exeter vs Glasgow - in detail

A-Level and academic profile

Exeter requires Applicants need to apply via UCAS by 15 October; academic profile + admissions test used to determine interview invite. Typical A-Level offer A*AA (contextual AAB) for 2026 entry.. Glasgow requires AAA including Chemistry and Biology. Glasgow is the stricter A-Level offer; Exeter is slightly more forgiving. If your predicted grades are borderline, Exeter carries the lower academic-rejection risk pre-interview.

Interview formats

Both Exeter and Glasgow use MMI interviews, so the underlying prep approach is the same — practise ethics frameworks, NHS hot-topic answers and (for MMI) structured station responses against a timer. That said, the specifics differ slightly: Exeter runs multiple mini interviews (mmi); Glasgow runs mmi format for dentistry, panel interview for medicine. Mock practice tailored to each school's exact format is the highest-leverage prep. Interview windows: Exeter interviews in December – March; Glasgow in December - February.

Post-interview offer rate

Exeter: International (2026 policy): ~33% (10 places, ~30 interviews); UK Undergrad: 366/696 = 53%. Glasgow: Scottish: 473/565 = 84% (2025); RUK: 128/216 = 59%; International: 114/161 = 71%. Post-interview odds give you the clearest signal of how competitive each school is at the final stage — a school with a 60% post-interview success rate is structurally easier to convert than one at 25%, even if the interview thresholds look identical on paper.

What makes each distinctive

Exeter: Focus on non-academic qualities including communication, empathy, role-play and realistic insight into the course and career. Points-based shortlisting combining A-level prediction + UCAT decile (75% academic / 25% UCAT). SJT not used - band 4 is fine. Glasgow: One of the oldest medical schools in the English-speaking world. Personal statement and reference must meet minimum requirements but shortlisting is then driven by UCAT alone. Personal statement reviewed post-interview before offers.

Which is right for you?

For applicants with predicted A-Level grades at the lower end of the AAA-A*AA range, Exeter is the lower-risk academic option. Regionally, the choice often comes down to cost of living and NHS-deanery preferences — Exeter feeds into the England foundation programme network; Glasgow into the Scotland network. Your firm/insurance choice should ultimately weight: where your UCAT and predicted grades sit relative to each school's threshold, which interview format you can prepare for most credibly, and where you'd actually want to live for five or six years.

Common questions

Neither school publishes a single fixed UCAT cut-off; both use UCAT as part of a composite shortlisting score alongside GCSE and personal-statement weighting. Exeter guidance: ~1880+ /2700 with A*A*A* (5th decile) OR ~2100+ /2700 with A*A*A (8th decile). Points cut-off 74+/100.. Glasgow guidance: No SJT used. Personal statement and reference checked for minimums then shortlisting is wholly UCAT-based. Personal statement reviewed post-interview before offers..

Exeter uses Multiple Mini Interviews: Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). Glasgow uses Panel interview: MMI Format for Dentistry, Panel Interview for Medicine. The two formats reward different skill sets. Plan separate prep streams for each, with at least 3 full mock interviews per format before sitting either. Interview windows: December – March (Exeter); December - February (Glasgow).

Exeter requires Applicants need to apply via UCAS by 15 October; academic profile + admissions test used to determine interview invite. Typical A-Level offer A*AA (contextual AAB) for 2026 entry.. Glasgow requires AAA including Chemistry and Biology. Most successful applicants achieve these grades on first sitting with strong predicted grades from their school.

Exeter — GCSE performance considered as part of the broader academic profile; specific scoring not published. Glasgow — GCSE English at grade 6/B; Biology at grade 6/B if not studied at A-Level. GCSE retakes accepted.

Exeter's selection methodology: shortlisting weight not fully disclosed; check the official admissions page. Glasgow's selection methodology: Shortlisting is UCAT-only after minimum academic, personal statement and reference checks. Personal statement reviewed post-interview, before offers, but not scored. Understanding each school's exact algorithm is the single highest-leverage piece of pre-application research — it tells you whether your profile is competitive before you spend an application choice.

Exeter: International (2026 policy): ~33% (10 places, ~30 interviews); UK Undergrad: 366/696 = 53%. Glasgow: Scottish: 473/565 = 84% (2025); RUK: 128/216 = 59%; International: 114/161 = 71%. Post-interview odds tell you how competitive each school is at the final stage. Two schools with similar UCAT thresholds can have very different post-interview rates — a school with a 60% post-interview success rate is structurally easier to convert than one at 25%.

Exeter is in Exeter, Devon, England, UK, UK. Glasgow is in Glasgow, UK. Scottish-domiciled applicants funded by SAAS pay no tuition fees at Scottish medical schools — a substantial funding advantage worth tens of thousands of pounds over the degree. Rest-of-UK applicants still pay £9,250/year.

Exeter typically releases medicine decisions March onwards / mid-May. Glasgow releases medicine decisions March onwards. If one is earlier than the other, you may need to hold a decision while waiting for the second school — be ready to compare in real time.

You can — UCAS allows 4 medicine/dentistry choices in total, so listing both is feasible if your profile fits each school's selection algorithm. Apply to both only if your UCAT, GCSE and predicted-grade profile is competitive against each school's published weighting. A common mistake is using two of your four slots on similar schools when a more spread-out portfolio (one safe + one stretch) would maximise overall offer probability.

School data reviewed by the NextGen MedPrep editorial team — last reviewed 20 June 2026.